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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23642056">A Drunk Chat's Words...</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bumbleb_tch/pseuds/bumbleb_tch'>bumbleb_tch</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Drunk Chat's Words [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Drunk!Chat Noir, F/M, Hot Mess AU?, Hot Mess Adrien Agreste, Idk guys it was an au prompt and I liked it, It's cute and nothing happens, Marinette just can't Keep It Together, There is no plot pls, Things I wrote instead of working on my longer fics..., and Chat is feeling a little lonely and touch starved</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:55:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,976</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23642056</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bumbleb_tch/pseuds/bumbleb_tch</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“You are the most beautiful creature I have ever been blessed to lay my eyes upon,” the voice was cooing, a bit unsteadily, if she was honest, not that it soothed her nerves that much. “Just a perfect little kitty, aren’t you? You’re so good. Your tiny paws? Spectacular. Your adorably pink nose? 10/10 would boop…”</p><p>The voice continued but Marinette stopped focusing on the words, too focused on the suspiciously familiar cadence prompting her to creep back into the living room, where she was greeted by the sight of her superhero partner crouched on all fours on her balcony. Worst of all, he seemed to be engaged in a rather emotional discussion with her cat. </p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Drunk Chat's Words [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1803991</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>516</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Drunk Chat's Words...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Marinette hunched over her desk, scratching quick soft lines into a layered skirt on her sketch. Thunder cracked, startling her from her design fugue state; she glanced at the cute ladybug clock sitting amongst her pens. </p><p>12:07 a.m.</p><p>A crack of thunder startled her and she glanced towards the screen door of her balcony. It wasn’t quite as nice as her old one atop her parent’s bakery, but the hassle of hiding Ladybug while living with them had become too much and so Marinette moved out as soon as she could afford it. She’d been lucky enough to land a paid internship with Gabriel Designs while she was in school on a scholarship, leaving her with enough leeway to live alone, a true blessing with all the complicated layers of her life. </p><p>She’d found an empty apartment lonely compared to the ever warm and busy atmosphere of her parent’s home, even with Tikki for company, so soon after moving in Marinette had adopted a bonded pair of cats she met by chance at an adoption fair one lucky Saturday morning. One was much smaller than the other, a calico with the spirit and spunk of a whole panther bundled in a package that didn’t weigh more than 5lbs. Marinette had named her Bug.</p><p>The other was a gangly creature that looked more like the shadow of a cat than an actual cat, but he was sweet and incredibly charming when he wanted to be, Marinette rarely had a moment of peace with him constantly draped over her lap. She’d taken to calling him Noir rather affectionately. </p><p>Bug in particular was fascinated with the balcony and would scream until Marinette relented and slipped the glass back so she could enjoy the sounds and smells of the outside world through a screen. The thunderstorm had long since prompted such an interaction, and as such, she shivered at the icy touch of breeze wafting through the screen, the soothing white noise of rain washing over her.</p><p>Marinette rose from her chair and padded into the kitchen, taking a moment to rest her hands and stretch. She almost missed an unsteady thump from outside. A series of following thuds had her spine stiff and adrenaline coursing through her veins like liquid fire as she strained her ears to hear the words being mumbled by whoever was on her balcony. </p><p>“You are the most beautiful creature I have ever been blessed to lay my eyes upon,” the voice was cooing, a bit unsteadily, if she was honest, not that it soothed her nerves that much. “Just a perfect little kitty, aren’t you? You’re so good. Your tiny paws? Spectacular. Your adorably pink nose? 10/10 would boop…”</p><p>The voice continued but Marinette stopped focusing on the words,  too focused on the suspiciously familiar cadence prompting her to creep back into the living room, where she was greeted by the sight of her superhero partner crouched on all fours on her balcony. Worst of all, he seemed to be engaged in a rather emotional discussion with her cat. </p><p>Marinette rolled her eyes and approached the door, stopping a few feet away when Chat showed no sign of noticing her. Concern wove it’s way through her veins, it was incredibly unlike Chat to be so unaware of his surroundings. She slowly lowered herself down to his eye level and called softly, “Chat? Are you okay?”</p><p>The catboy’s head slowly tilted away from Bug to meet her eyes, his pupils were blown wide and seemed to struggle to focus on her. Once they did, a beatific smile of recognition crossed his face,  “Purrincess?” he chirped cheerfully, his tail weaving back and forth behind him like an agitated snake. </p><p>“What are you doing here, Chat?” Marinette asked, moving closer to the door, “How did you know where I live?”</p><p>He looked up at her, eyes somehow growing impossibly wider, “You live here?" A gasp shook his whole body as Chat gaped up at her, nearly overwhelmed with glee, "Princess, is this <em>your</em> cat?”</p><p>“What? Y-yes that’s my cat! You’re on my balcony, Chat. Are you okay?” Marinette huffed in exasperation, scooting Bug out of the way with her foot and tugging open the screen door separating her from her partner. “Chat, you’re soaking wet!” She yelped, yanking him to his feet and inside her apartment. </p><p>She grabbed a towel from her bathroom and returned to find him crouched on the floor engaged in an intense eye contact battle with Bug. Marinette rolled her eyes, wondering what the hell had gotten into him as she draped the towel over him. She kneeled down next to him, starting a little when he shifted his weight to lean into her. </p><p>“Have you seen this cat, Marinette? She’s perfect. I want to get a cat so badly, but my roommate is allergic,” he sighed loudly, and Marinette could tell that the lack of cat in his life was truly upsetting to him. And it was surprisingly endearing. </p><p>She dropped her head closer to his and inhaled deeply. She’d never tell him, but his smell was such a familiar comfort that it forced a smile to her face before she could conceal it. Tonight though,  it was sharp around the edges, tinged with a bitter burn, and Marinette could taste it almost as well as she could smell it. </p><p>Vodka. Ridiculously expensive vodka if his taste in wine was anything to go off of. The pair had occasionally enjoyed a late night hangout with appropriate amounts of alcohol after they’d turned 18, and her partner liked to show up with wine that was both older than her and definitely too expensive for a couple of teenagers to be drinking on a roof. She hadn’t complained too much- it would be a shame to waste it.</p><p>But this didn’t seem like a couple of shots to relax before bed, this was more of a, I’m trying not to remember anything when I wake up kind of drunk. Marinette wasn’t one to judge, even Chat Noir can have a moment of weakness, but it was a little concerning. “Minou?” She waited for his ears to prick towards her so she knew he was listening. “Are you drunk?”</p><p>The pause was long enough that Marinette started to wonder if he’d fallen asleep next to her, but then he mumbled -slurred-, “...Purrhaps just a tad, Princess.” He turned his head to peek up at her from the corner of his eye, “Don’t make that face!” Chat whined, rolling onto his back to pout up at her. “It’s the same one my Lady makes right before she asks me if I’m okay and then lectures me.” </p><p>Marinette couldn’t help but giggle, “I promise not to lecture you, Chat. But I will ask you if you’re okay…”</p><p>“I’m absolutely pawfect, no need to worry about your knight in shining leather.” His grin was a bit too wide and cheeky for her to really trust it.</p><p>“I’ll worry anyway, Chaton. You did show up on a strangers balcony to talk to their cat, that’s not the brightest neon sign saying you’re just swell.” </p><p>Chat’s brow furrowed, and his voice was a bit more serious, though no less slurred “I hope you’re not trying to tell me you’re not Marinette cause if you are I must be drunker than I thought.”</p><p>“No, no!” Marinette laughed, reaching to scratch the catboy behind one of his ears, “But you didn’t know this was my apartment!” </p><p>He seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding, “I must have borrowed some luck from Ladybug tonight.”</p><p>That was cryptic, even for Chat, but it didn’t seem like he was going to share, so Marinette tugged him to his feet and guided him to her couch, giggling again when he threw himself onto it with the dramatic air of a Victorian lady swooning. </p><p>“You’re a hot mess, kitty." She said, poking his cheek gently.</p><p>He tilted his head just enough to reveal a delicately curved eyebrow, the half-lidded eye below it crystal clear and gleaming with mischief. “You think I’m hot, huh?”</p><p>Marinette gaped down at him, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly before stuttering, “Ah-ugh! That’s not what I meant!!” She stomped back into her kitchen, reaching for her teapot and cursing her flirty, <em> drunk </em>partner under her breath.</p><p>“Put your claws away, Princess! I’m just teasing, I know you don’t think of me that way anymore.” </p><p>His voice rumbled through the air, drifting around her neck and she startled, having been too busy angrily making tea to hear him follow her. He paused, tilting his head with a open expression, “Sometimes that makes me sad.”</p><p>Marinette's head shot up to meet his gaze, side eyed-and dropped back down again just as fast, her cheeks burning. “What? Why?”</p><p>She could <em> hear </em>his cheeky grin as he sashayed clumsily across her small kitchen to cuddle into her from behind and she pretended not to notice how her body relaxed into him without hesitation.</p><p>Marinette wished they didn't fit together quite so well. </p><p>(She immediately regretted it.)</p><p>“You’re kinda the cat’s meow, Marinette." Chat mumbled, his chin resting on top of her head, "Sometimes I think too much about what might have happened if I had been able to see you around Ladybug back then- You probably didn’t want to know that, sorry Purrincess.”</p><p>He was apologetic but somehow, she found she wasn't. Marinette trained her focus on pouring the tea, her mind working overtime to try and process everything that had happened in the last few minutes. “I-um” </p><p>Chat was here, in her kitchen, <em> drunk, </em> giving her a home within his arms and demolishing every defense she'd ever managed to build up against him, and worst of all, she was <em> letting him do it.  </em></p><p>Her kitten had managed to fall in love with her twice. The thought made her heart flutter unexpectedly and it seemed like Chat was washed in a sharper light than he had been a moment before. Suddenly she felt like she understood what he was saying perfectly; an ache in her chest for something that could have been if she’d not been quite so blinded by the boy her highschool self had insisted was the love of her life. </p><p>Marinette still loved Adrien, but in a much softer way. He was one of her best friends and she didn’t get to see him as much as she’d like anymore, but she wasn’t drunk in love with the idea of him anymore. </p><p>And Chat...She’d felt too guilty to even consider him after turning him down over and over, plus he’d toned down a lot of his flirting to teasing, so she’d assumed he’d moved on from Ladybug long before she’d managed to screw her head on straight. It seemed like maybe Marinette once again deserved the award for quickest to jump to conclusions. </p><p>In the years elapsing, Chat had become her friend and confidant as Ladybug and as Marinette. She trusted and loved her partner on both sides of her mask, but she’d always had a much easier time as Marinette. Without the expectations and responsibility of Ladybug, she could enjoy his carefree spirit and silly personality so much more.</p><p>At some point while she’d been ruminating in her mind, Chat had slumped against her back and she found herself supporting most of his weight. “Chaton?” She probed softly, not wanting to startle him.</p><p>He jumped anyway, a purr bursting to life in his chest, vibrating not just his frame but her own as he pulled her closer, nuzzling into the back of her neck. “Hmmm?”</p><p>The air ghosting across delicate skin ignited her nerves, electricity spiraling through her body to curl hot and restless in her core. Marinette gasped despite herself. “W-why don’t you go lay down?”</p><p>Chat’s face tilted further into her neck, his lips stroking innocently along her skin as he spoke, leaving a trail of fire that felt nothing short of sinful. “But you’re in here.” </p><p>Marinette cursed herself for being a lousy person essentially lusting after her flirty but well meaning, and not to mention <em> drunk, </em>partner. She wondered briefly when babysitting drunk children became a duty of a heroine of Paris, but decided that this was in fact just the duty of a friend. And she knew exactly what she would do if it were Alya, or Kagami, or even Adrien. So pasting on a bemused smile, Marinette pulled free of his grasp, ignoring the high pitched whine replacing his purrs. </p><p>She grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together and tugging him along behind her through her apartment and into her bedroom. Dropping his hand, Marinette nudged him toward the bed and slipped into her bathroom to brush her teeth-as well as give herself a quick pep talk. Ladybug didn’t leave her with much spare time to devote to her love life, and since she wasn’t one for one-night stands, Chat Noir was the first man she’d allowed into her bed like this. </p><p>Ugh, even the thought sounded lewd. There was something ironic about it, but she couldn’t find it in herself to be bothered by that. There was no one she trusted more than her partner, and right now he needed her to take care of him, so of course, she could do nothing else. But Marinette couldn’t help grimacing as she imagined the look on his face if he knew that he was the first and only man to ever climb in Ladybug’s bed.</p><p>Chat was perched on the edge of the bed when she walked back into her bedroom, hunched over and fiddling with his tail in a manner that screamed of insecurity. She sidled up to him slowly, sliding a soothing hand along his back. “Minou? Are you okay?”</p><p>He blinked up at her, eyes wide and unsure, his ears dropping just enough to tug her heartstrings at his pitiful demeanor. “I don’t want to be a bother to you, Princess. I should go.”</p><p>A white hot flush of indignation lit Marinette up from within, her tongue snapping before she could check her temper. “Like hell you will!” She clenched her lips tightly, pulling Chat into a gentle embrace and sliding her fingers through his hair soothingly. “What I mean is, you can’t go out like this, Chat. You need to sober up before you do anything else.” </p><p>Chat’s ears drooped further, even as his purr kicked up anew at her gentle stroking, “I-I can take the couch then, I don’t want to impose-”</p><p>Marinette leaned back to put her hands on his shoulders and look him in the eye, searching for an indication of what he was thinking, while conveying her own sincerity. “Chat, friends don’t let friends wallow drunk on the couch alone.” </p><p>All the energy seemed to leave him and he sagged into her with a quiet sigh, pliant and docile as she tugged him into the bed and curled up with him, her fingers once again teasing through the silky strands of his hair. “Chat, you would tell me if you were in trouble, right?”</p><p>Chat stiffened next to her, but seemed to be struggling with himself to appear relaxed and nonchalant as he mumbled into a pillow. “Don’t worry about me, Purrincess. I’m feline just pawesome, especially with you looking out for me.”</p><p>She had to bite back a groan at the series of puns obviously designed to distract- her- and <em> failing- </em>and opened her mouth to respond, only to have her breath knocked from her lungs with an audible “oof” as Noir leapt from the shadows to land directly on her stomach. </p><p>Marinette watched the lanky cat sniff at Chat’s hair disdainfully, jumping back when Chat’s leather ears twitched. Chat rotated his head as slowly as he could manage to look at the furry goblin digging his nails rather painfully into her thigh. </p><p>His eyes shifted up to meet her gaze, a look of sheer awe and glee painted on his features, and breathed reverently, “Marinette...you have <em> two </em> cats?”</p><p>A laugh burst from her lips unbidden, her anxiety forgotten in the face of the simple joy that a cat could bring. “I’d tell you his name, but I think it might be dangerous to inflate your ego like that.” </p><p>The gasp that puffed from his lips across her skin sent a tremor through her body that she prayed Chat was too drunk to notice while he absorbed the new information. “You, you named your cat after me?”</p><p>Heat spread across her cheeks and she fought the urge to bury her face in her hands. Even drunk her kitty wasn’t an idiot. “So what if I did?” Marinette flicked his nose, “I think you’re pretty neat. Now go to sleep.”</p><p>Chat fell silent but sidled closer to melt into her, much like the cat sprawled across her stomach. He nuzzled into her hair, sliding his nose along her jaw to ghost his lips against her ear as he whispered, “I think you’re pretty neat too.”</p><p>The shock that ricocheted through Marinette first stopped her heart mid beat and then rebounded to start it again, flailing in a clumsy staccato as she struggled to relax and not leap out the nearest window. Instead she focused very hard on keeping her breathing regular so as not to alert Chat, who was quite involved in delicately stroking a single clawed finger against Noir's furry cheek. Her partner was clearly reveling in purr kicking up at his attentions and his own rumbled to life to blend in the air around her, creating what should have been one of the most soothing atmospheres to exist. </p><p>But it would be long after Chat’s breathing settled into a deep rhythm before Marinette would finally drift off to sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope y'all enjoyed this one! </p><p>I'm not sure if anyone is interested but I'm currently looking for a new beta :) If you're open to helping me out, please let me know!</p><p>(I might do a second part to this one titled "...A Sober Chat's Thoughts" &lt;.&lt;)</p><p>4/18: Sequel is up!<br/></p></blockquote></div></div>
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